


Artificial Human

by twilighteve



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone is Dead, F/M, I'm Sorry, Romance, Somewhat, riza and hughes not actually in the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-12 23:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5686537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilighteve/pseuds/twilighteve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He stared at her and lifted his hand, touching her cheek. It was unfair how humanlike she was despite not even being a living being. She looked so much like her. A Royai Android!AU in which Roy owns a woman-like Android.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Artificial Human

It was already an age of technology where people barely needed to write anything down, or even type anything up. Everyone had a portable Android by their side, both small and big, in all models – male, female, children, fantasy creatures. The Androids could do anything their owners programmed them to do, including taking a recorded note of their professors’ lecture and looking up things in the internet, and the only thing they needed to do was to give simple commands to their units.

This, of course, didn’t really count when said unit was in the verge of breaking… or, at least, in dire need of system update.

“Search _miniskirt design_ on the net.”

“System error. Unit does not compute.”

A sigh. “Search _Madame Christmas’ bar_ on the net.”

“System error. Unit does not compute.”

“… search Madame Christmas’ phone number in my phonebook.”

“Searching… Search complete. Would you like to call Madame Christmas, Sir?”

“Yes, please.”

“Connecting call… System error. Call disconnected due to internal problems.”

“Goddammit,” the young man grumbled. “You really do need an upgrade.”

The Android gave no reaction save for a blink.

He sighed and took out his phone, tapping on it without words while the woman-like Android stared, red-brown eyes looking at him almost in calculating manner, long blonde hair cascading down its back because of all the things that it had been programmed to do, putting up its hair was apparently not in the list. After a while, he let out a curse and lowered his phone, staring at the Android. “I can’t give you an upgrade,” he muttered. He stared at the Android miserably. “I’m broke enough as is. I can’t just go to Madame Christmas and borrow more money.”

The Android only blinked.

He sighed again. “I might… end up having to throw you away.”

He didn’t know if it was only an illusion, but the Android seemed to be tensing up.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t go on like this,” he looked down and took a deep breath. He wondered why he even bothered talking to an Android that wouldn’t respond, but he decided that he didn’t care. “You’re starting to take more money than what you’re worth. I can’t keep you if you keep taking my money – I need to eat, too. You’re in need of so many upgrades and fixes, and that’ll take so much money. Even if I sell you I’m not going to get that money back, even though you’re custom-made.”

As usual, the Android made no move to respond. It simply sat there, staring unblinkingly at him with its intense red-brown eyes that seemed too human-like for him. It hurt because those eyes seemed so similar to _hers_. It hurt even more because it… the Android, it was modeled after _her_. As if that wasn’t enough, as a cherry-on-top, the fact that it was made by _him_ hit him in the face like a vengeful truck on a killing spree.

“Don’t – don’t look at me like that,” he stammered when the memories of what had been surfaced in his mind, drowning him in past possibilities and the regret that everything that once could have was no longer within his grasp. “I’m just telling you the facts. It’s not my fault that it’s the truth. There’s no way I can keep putting up with you when you’re practically a broken Android that’s been overdue for so long, anyway. Buying a new Android would actually cost less than trying to fix you, and that’s _if_ you can be fixed.”

The Android simply gave a slow blink, as if trying to process his words with its lagging CPU. It probably was.

“I have no choice,” he said again, and at this point he didn’t know any more if he was trying to convince himself to give up the Android or lessen his guilt for wanting to do it. “Is there any other choice that I have? Tell me.” It was a rhetorical question.

The Android interpreted it as a genuine question, however. “Computing… System error: Keyword unclear. Would you please phrase the question differently?”

He threw his hands up. “That won’t be necessary. At least we know there are some parts of you that still works.” He glanced critically at it. “Or are there?”

The Android straightened and looked at him expectantly, and he cringed when he saw the similarity between it and _her_. “Would you like to have a thorough scan to inspect the system’s performance?”

And why did it have to even _sound_ like _her_? Dammit, Hughes. “Yes, scan away,” he agreed with a sigh. “If anything, it should help me figure out whether or not I should dump you.”

If an Android could look desperately hopeful, this one was obviously a picture of it. “Yes, Sir. Running complete system scan. Please wait while the scan takes place. This should not take more than a few minutes.”

“Not with that CPU,” he muttered to himself.

Surprisingly, the scan took less time than he had thought. It was still long, but not as long as he had expected.

“Scan complete. There are a few parts that need to be fixed, but the unit is otherwise salvageable. You might need a few spares to exchange a few broken parts.”

He eyed it suspiciously. “Give me a price estimation.”

The Android rattled off a number, and he groaned aloud. He didn’t have nearly as much.

“I’ll have to sell you, then,” he said, surprised by the regret that overcame himself. He thought he had steeled himself for this decision. “There’s no way I could use you any longer.” He thought to himself. “I’ll just buy a cheaper Android later. B-Hayate sounds good, though older and isn’t a humanoid type. Or a kid model? No, the dog one would be easier to manage.”

He glanced at the Android he currently had, observing how it stared at him like a careful hawk that somehow seemed nervous of what would be its fate. Once again he cursed at how _he_ made it so alike to _her_. The intensity of the eyes was reminiscent of the original Hawkeye. The custom-made R-H-Eye 001 certainly lived up to its namesake.

The Android, programmed to respond to his ticks that _he_ had typed into its code, blinked and tilted its head a little, so alike to _her_ that he had to suppress a wince. “Is there anything I can do for you, Sir?”

His eyes widened. He opened and closed his mouth as he felt tears gathering, threatening to fall. It was so alike to _her_. Memories that he thought had been buried for long, never to see the light of day again, began to resurface, clawing and crawling up the walls of cage he had built to keep them tightly confined and forever detached.

The Android was programmed to respond to any sign of distress he showed. She – no, not _she_ , but _it_ – immediately frowned in a disturbingly human-like manner. “Is there anything wrong, Sir?”

The figurative cage of memories shattered into pieces. The dam he had so carefully built and guarded broke, and the tears spilled like a waterfall. “ _Riza_ ,” he sobbed as the memories overtook him.

_Dripping wet hair slapped her face as she laughed at his dumbfounded face, trying to dry her shirt despite being knee-deep in the lake’s water and would be drenched again soon enough when the waves hit them. He tackled her into the water and they splashed into each other’s faces, sputtering and laughing all the while._

_The echoing music of the bar played in their ears as they held each other’s hands, dancing to the soft jazz. They could feel Hughes crooning after them, happy to see the lovebirds finally brave enough to step up their game, all the while hugging Gracia by her shoulders and being lovebirds, themselves. The two new lovers laughed softly at that and touched their foreheads to one another, content with the lack of distance between them._

_Warmth seeped through her skin in into his as they held hands. Flutters of papers blown by the wind was accompanied by the sound of pen scratching into paper, drawing arrays of the lost art of alchemy that was unearthed by the late Berthold Hawkeye. As the daughter and protégé of the professor, they felt obligated to find a way to bring the knowledge back to life. Perhaps alchemy would bring a new progress in the Android age, or enabled them to access other lost knowledge that required alchemical arrays as the key._

Water.

_It was ridiculous, how there was such large amount of water in such dry deserts. The civil war with the Ishvallans had gone long and tedious, but when they decided to bring the Androids to annihilate the so-called rebels, it changed directions to downright bloody and deadly, even more than before._

_And he? Roy Mustang was a ridiculously smart idiot who challenged fate by joining the troops in hope of ending the war with as little bloodshed as possible. Mainly by carefully smuggling ‘dead’ Ishvallans away with the help of fellow soldiers, Maes Hughes and Riza Hawkeye (because once in battlefield, there was no ‘friend’ and ‘lover’, only ‘allies’, ‘soldiers’, and ‘enemies’), but the Ishvallans still saw him as just another Amestrian soldier. They aimed to kill as many of those as possible._

_The Androids try to keep track of each and every one of them. But the Ishvallans were traditionalists who rejected technology beyond medical field. It meant they had nothing on their person that the Androids could track. In the eyes of the machines, they were invisible ghosts._

_While never being able to actually bring alchemy back to life, the basics of chemistry and physics it had helped Roy Mustang advance his own knowledge on the subjects. Having been fascinated with fire, he had created his own arsenal of explosives and things that would help him in the war. It would be great to distract people, but it would also be able to kill lots quickly. It made him a target in the eyes of the Ishvallans despite his intentions to help them. And to fight fire, they brought water._

_They didn’t bring water to him, of course. They brought_ him _to the water. As it turned out, they had a reservoir full of water that they collected whenever the rare rain in the desert fall. One of them had bludgeoned his head when he was distracted and dragged him to the reservoir. The Ishvallans threw him in the water and left him for dead._

_Except Hawkeye saw it through the scope of her sniper’s rifle. There were far too many Ishvallans for her to snipe, so she opted to tell Hughes about it in hope of getting more people to help. When the unconscious Roy was thrown to the water, though, all hope of getting backup was forgotten as the urgency, the need to save him overcame her._

_Ignoring all protocols, she threw her rifle away and dove into the water to drag him up to the surface. She managed to, somehow, and he regained consciousness when his face met the air. He gasped and sputtered, coughing up water and decided with petulant yet rightful anger that he hated water. It made her laugh despite their situation that he managed to yell that declaration at the top of his lung despite being out of breath._

_They dragged themselves out of the water and froze when they heard the sound of cocking rifle. They turned to see an Ishvallan pointing the muzzle of Riza’s discarded rifle to their faces. They both held their hands up in surrender as they got to their feet._

_“You’re supposed to be dead,” he gnashed his teeth at Roy with vengeance. Roy simply gulped, not knowing any other response that he could give. The Ishvallan man angrily pointed the rifle at his head and shot._

_He wasn’t used to holding firearms, though, that much was apparent. The kickback threw his aim off, and the bullet, instead of finding its nest between Roy’s eyes, went through another path entirely and shot through Riza’s stomach._

_His scream broke through the loud gunfight of the war as she gasped, clutching the wound with her hand while blood seeped and escaped through her fingers. She fell to her knees, and then slumped into the pool of water that dripped from their clothes and hair that had begun to taint red. He dropped next to her, heart racing as panic overtook him, trying hard to stop the bleeding with little to no success._

_By him, a body fell to the ground. He jumped and saw that the Ishvallan had fallen face first with a knife protruding from his back. He glanced ahead. Hughes was there, clearly the one that had thrown the knife. His eyes went back to the Ishvallan man. He writhed and moaned painfully before he went still, rifle still in his hands._

_A feminine moan drew his attention to Riza once more. The amount of blood that trickled out of her wound sent him into another wave of panic and he once more tried desperately to stop her bleeding. Her blood painted his fingers red and tainted the water underneath her, making it seem as though she had bled so much more than she actually had. It scared him._

_“R-roy.”_

_He gasped, looking at her pallid face at last as her hand grasped his. It was only then that he realized his sight was blurry with tears._

_She stared at him with that pair of red-brown eyes, hazy with pain but somehow still coherent. Even in the brink of death she still managed that breathtaking smile that had stolen his heart in their adolescent years. Her eyes spoke in a way words never managed to, and he gazed back at her._

_She died in his arms._

“Sir? Quick health scan indicates elevated level of stress. Is there any need to contact your therapist, Sir?”

Her voice brought him back into reality. He looked up and saw Riza Hawkeye’s face staring at him, calculating. He realized that he had cried and that his tears had dripped to the floor. “No,” he answered at last. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

The Android looked too similar to a hesitating human when she paused for a bit. “There is no _Riza_ in my database, Sir. If you want to call her, should I run a search on the net?”

He sniffed as he tried to rein his tears. “That part of your system is busted. You can’t search the net, right?”

She froze for a while. “Scanning system… Scan complete. Internet Searching function confirmed to be down. Advanced reparation strongly recommended.” She blinked. “It appears that phone dialing function is also down, Sir.”

“I noticed,” he sighed. He stared at her and lifted his hand, touching her cheek. It was unfair how humanlike she was despite not even being a living being. Her skin was soft and warm as though it was real skin. “Dammit, Hughes,” he muttered to himself. That man had outdone himself. Roy was surprised when he found out Hughes had a knack to build things sometimes, but to be able to build a complete Android such as this? He thought ELS-101 was his masterpiece, but he was clearly wrong. This one was.

“Is there anything wrong, Sir?” the woman-like Android asked.

He shook his head as he felt fresh tears beginning to well up. “Why does he make you so much alike to her?” he asked. “It’s unfair.”

To his surprise, she suddenly went rigid. Her eyes flashed in a way that indicated that her CPU was whirring to life to display a video. “Password matched. Retrieving hidden files… Hidden files retrieved. Running scans for virus… No virus detected. Hidden files details are as follows. Name: _MessageToRoyFromMaes.mp4_ and _FollowUpMessage.mp4_. Format: mp4. Notes: these files have been added by Maes Hughes. Would you like to open the files?”

Added by Hughes? Roy frowned. Why would Hughes add hidden files in his Android? “Yes,” he decided. “Open them.”

“Which one would you like to see first?”

A pause. “The _MessageToRoy_ one.”

“Opening file.” Her eyes flashed. A miniature, holographic version of Hughes appeared in front of his eyes. “Playing video…”

_“Hiya, Roy!”_ came the ever-familiar voice of his now dead friend. _“Let me be perfectly honest with you… I don’t know if you’d ever come across this video or not. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Maybe never.”_ He shrugged. _“I’d never know. It’s your Android, after all, I wouldn’t know what you do to it.”_ His brows furrowed. _“I sure hope you haven’t tried pleasuring yourself to it, though, Roy. I mean you can do it. Many if not all mass-produced Androids can serve that particular…_ function _. R-H-Eye 001 can, too! But I can’t guarantee how long it can go without short-circuiting. It’s not built for_ that _.”_

“Geez, Hughes, you _have_ to record that?” Roy grumbled, feeling heat in his face as he cringed. Whatever thought he had when receiving the Android in front of him, _that_ hadn’t been it.

_“God. Did I really say all that? Now I’m disturbed.”_ Holographic Hughes shuddered. _“Back to the main topic! Geez. Okay. Alright. Phew. See… the reason why I made this Android for you is because Riza asked me to.”_

Roy recoiled at that. Riza?

_“She didn’t ask to make it look like her, of course. That was my decision.”_

Roy blinked. “What…?”

Hughes’ smile was soft. Somber, sad. _“You know the Android Gracia and I have, right? ELS-101? Well… she’s modeled after what I thought would look like my daughter if Gracia hadn’t had miscarriage.”_ He laughed softly. _“She even has the name I’d give to my daughter. Elysia… it’s a perfect name.”_ He sighed. _“You might think it’s pathetic of me. Heck,_ I _think it’s pathetic of me. But what can I say? It’s never been easy for us to conceive, and when we thought we could finally start a family… she was taken away from us. I thought… an Android could be a good replacement. And it was. Elysia is everything I could have expected from a daughter, though it could also be because I’m the one who built and programmed her.”_

Roy listened with morbid fascination. This explained so much of Hughes’ tendency to gush over a mere Android.

_“Riza asked to make you a regular Android,”_ Hughes explained. _“She asked me long before… Ishval. A final parting gift, she said. And at first, I planned to make it one of those standard Androids with androgynous features that you could program yourself so that every aspect of its supposed personality matches what you want. I couldn’t finish it soon enough, though, and we were drafted before it was even remotely completed. And when we got back… Riza was gone. And you were so sad. And I thought… I thought this would help.”_ He took a deep breath. _“I rushed to finish it after we got back. It helped keep the nightmares at bay. And when it’s done, I just know that it’s my greatest creation yet. At least in my opinion.”_

Roy couldn’t help the smile that overtook his lips. “It really is.”

_“I hope you can understand my reasons, Roy. I think… I might go to you and tell you everything, myself, if I’m ready. But talking about Elysia in front of people still makes me feel like a mess sometimes. Talking to a camera is way better. I’m sorry that you have to hear everything just through a video instead of in person.”_

Roy forgave him for it, though. There was no other option, really, not when the person in the video was already dead, killed in action while doing his investigative works within the military.

_“After this, I suggest you open the_ FollowUpMessage _file, Roy. It’s a little something I left for you. I recorded it before we were drafted.”_ He smiled. _“That’s all I can tell you, I guess. See you around, Roy. And don’t slack off! Those paperwork won’t wait for you forever!”_

That was all there was to the video. The Android blinked as the last holographic message blipped out of existence and stared at Roy, awaiting further order.

There was a lump in Roy’s throat. Listening to Hughes’ voice really did a number on him. He swallowed the lump and directed hoarsely, “Open file _FollowUpMessage.mp4_ for me.”

“Opening file,” the Android hummed as her eyes flickered to life again. Another holographic figure of Hughes appeared in the air.

_“Is this thing even on?”_ he grumbled, pouting like a child, before he brightened considerably. _“Oh hey, it is! Hiya, Roy! How’s it going? Sorry about that, I’m not used with this Android’s camera yet. And I’m the one who built it! Pathetic. Oh, but it’s not completed yet, though. It still has ways to go. I suspect it’ll be a long time before it’s actually useable.”_ He clapped his hands. _“Right. I gotta tell you this, Roy… the Android I’m building will be yours. Take it as a present of sorts! And you know what? Your lady friend asked me to make it for you! Isn’t she wonderful? Not as wonderful as my darling Gracia, but still wonderful! So wonderful, in fact, that she’s come here to record a message for you!”_ He turned and stared expectantly at something outside of the camera’s range of view, and his expression became that of a demanding kid. _“Oh, come on! I can’t just read those for you. You gotta say that yourself so it’ll be meaningful! Come here, I tell you!”_

There was an audible sigh, and a figure entered the camera’s range of view. Roy gasped when he saw that familiar long blonde hair tied up with a clip. She turned to face the camera, and Roy felt tears falling down from his eyes again when _she_ gave a smile. He had so desperately kept all memories of her at bay to distance himself, to keep himself from getting hurt, but now that an image of her practically danced in front of his eyes, the sadness, the anger, the regret and guilt surfaced and hit him full-force. He gave a shuddering breath, once again cursing the weakness in which mortality and humanity had held him captive.

_“Well! I’ll leave you two alone. I don’t think Hawkeye will be comfortable talking with me hovering in the background. Call me when you’re all done!”_ Hughes left the camera’s range of view as Riza shook her head with a small smile playing at her face. She directed her gaze to the camera.

_“Hello, Roy…”_ she began. She took a deep breath. _“Well. It’s as Hughes said… I asked him to make this Android for you. It’s because…”_ Another deep breath. _“It’s because we’re in the military, and we’ll probably be drafted soon. And,”_ there was a short bark of laugh as her face crinkled into that adorable annoyed yet amused smile, _“well, you’ve never been the best timekeeper. You’d be late for so many appointments if it wasn’t for me. Don’t deny this fact. And I think… there’s a possibility that I’ll be killed in war, and someone’s going to have to take my role as your personal timetable or you’re going to ruin your own career. And I can’t let anyone take that burden, God no. So and Android would be perfect for you.”_

Roy chortled between sobs. That was right. R-H-Eye 001 was an excellent timekeeper. Lack of proper care because his money wasn’t enough and the need of purchasable updates had made her task reminder system lag behind.

_“I thought that… at least, I can do this much for you even if I’m gone,”_ she smiled at him, and even though he knew it was just a recording of the past, his heart ached with longing. _“I’ve never been good with words, so this is basically all that I can say to you.”_

There was a scuffle as Hughes’ voice faintly wafted in; _“God, Riza! I know you’re not good with words, but can you at least express your love or something? Come on, be more romantic!”_

Riza took a small pillow on the couch she was sitting on and hurled it to the right side of the camera. There was a rattling voice and Hughes’ yell of pained surprise. Riza’s projectile had obviously met its intended target. Roy laughed again. It was so like Hughes to mindlessly poke at Riza despite knowing just how terrifying she could be when she wanted to.

Riza cleared her throat. _“Well… I can’t deny that Hughes is right. I should probably say something.”_ She took a deep breath, exhaled, and stared straight into the camera. _“You’ve asked me if I’d follow you. And I told you that… if you wish, then I’d plunge into the deepest pit of hell itself. And, Roy…”_ she shuffled forward a little. _“Know that I’ll always have your back. Know that I’ll always be with you. Know that I’ll support you, all the way, until the very end. No matter how sweet or bitter it might be.”_ Her eyes softened, and she smiled, soft and loving and yearning. _“Remember that, Roy. I love you.”_ And pink colored her cheeks as she said, _“Goodbye.”_

Once more, the holographic video faded into darkness. The Android blinked, once more staring at Roy, before suddenly straightening, determination in her eyes. It was as though she was taking decisions for herself. “Retrieving hidden file… Hidden file retrieved. Running scans for virus… No virus detected. Hidden file details are as follows. Name: _RecordedMessage.mp3._ Format: mp3. Notes: this file has been added by Maes Hughes. Author’s note: _I took this without her agreement and I kind of feel bad but I think you’d like it._ Would you like to open this file?”

Roy blinked and nodded slowly, sniffing, though wondering why the Android would suddenly act like that without his commands or triggering passwords of any kind. “Yeah. Open it.”

Voice recordings, when played by Androids, would be played as though the Android itself was the one that said everything in the recording. As such, it should come as no surprise when the Android opened her mouth and _her_ voice came out. But the words, the simple three words that she spoke… it left him reeling with aching longing.

_“I love you.”_

Tears spilled anew. With R-H-Eye 001’s similarities with Riza Hawkeye, the completely serious manner in which she played the recorded message, and the clear quality of the recording that made it sounded so alike to the actual person, he could almost believe that it was Riza Hawkeye herself that spoke her declaration of love instead of the Android that was modeled after her.

How could he keep her when she was a reminder of what could have been? It was like a slap to his face. It hurt.

“I’m throwing you away,” he rasped. “You look too much like _her_. I can’t – I’m throwing you away.” Well, maybe not throw her away. Selling her would be better, anyway – at least he could still have some money, even if the amount wasn’t so big.

There was a stiff silence in the air, and he looked up to the Android. He gasped.

Against all logic, the Android was crying, a pair of tear tracks appearing on her face, one on each cheek. And it was so unfair. She looked so much like _her_.

“Oh,” was all the Android said.

And that was it. The guilt gnawed in Roy’s stomach, so much that he couldn’t fight it. If there was still any intent within himself to sell R-H-001, all of them had shattered away. It was impossible that an Android could develop feelings, but the act R-H-Eye 001 had just performed made him believe – almost believe – that this one did have at least an extent of free will and wished to stay with him. Even though he knew it was irrational, he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt. He would keep R-H-001, he decided, if only to hear Riza speak again, if only to indulge in the illusion that she was alive and well and would tell him she loved him. It was impossible, he knew; the dead don’t come back to life. But for a while, he could pretend.

He abruptly stood and stomped to the bathroom, feeling the Android’s eyes boring to his back. He splashed water to his face to freshen himself and wipe away the tear tracks marring him. Knowing that he looked like a total mess either way, he discarded his shirt and pants and took a shower, hoping that it would be enough to make him look presentable later on. There was somewhere that they needed to go to.

Once he was done bathing and dressing, he went out of his bathroom to see the Android sitting still where he had left her before. He eyed her critically and she stared back, clearly running several programs to determine his mental health. Damn Hughes and his sense of preservation. He really did program everything Roy would need into R-H-Eye 001. It made him feel even more attached.

“I’ll fix you even if I end up not being able to eat, myself,” Roy declared aloud.

She took a moment to process his words, the lagging CPU clearly taking more time to comprehend the meaning of his words than usual. When the understanding finally dawned, her eyes widened and she got to her feet, shaking her head. “I’m strongly against that, Sir. It would interfere with your health, and one of my primary functions is to make sure that you are well.”

“Calm down,” Roy sighed. “I’m not actually going to risk my own health. I’ll find a way. Maybe borrow some more money from Madame Christmas. I’m going to return the money sooner or later.” He frowned. “Actually, before that… check my bank account, please.”

The Android went rigid. “System error. Unit does not compute.”

Roy threw up his arms in frustration. “Alright, then we’ll have to go to the bank first. Get ready to set out.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Roy paused. “You know… referring to you as R-H-Eye 001 all the time is a mouthful. I should give you a nickname.”

“Would you like to rewrite the unit’s name, Sir?”

Roy shook his head. _R-H-Eye 001_ was what Hughes chose for the Android, and he didn’t want to change that, not really. “Does your program allow me to add a nickname instead of rewriting the unit’s name?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Then add a nickname.”

“Yes, Sir. What nickname would you like to add?”

“Ri – “ Roy halted. No. _Riza Hawkeye_ would be inappropriate. Because this Android might have been made with _her_ image in mind, but she wasn’t _her_. Would never be _her_. Naming her after _her_ so blatantly would be… wrong.

“Would you like to add the nickname ‘Ri’, Sir?”

He shook his head, “No, scratch that. I’m changing it.”

“Erasing… What nickname would you like to add?”

Roy fell into contemplative silence. What name would be appropriate? Something that wasn’t _her_ , but at least still felt like _her_ , because she was, after all, made after _her_. Then a smile bloomed at his face as a memory tapped into his mind. It was just a codename, really, but it was _her_ and not really _her_ at the same time. It was, in a sense, perfect.

“Elizabeth,” he spoke, softly yet clearly.

“Elizabeth,” the Android repeated. “Would you like to keep this nickname?”

“Yes.”

“Nickname saved. Nickname ready to be used.”

The nostalgic smile on Roy’s face changed into one of approval. “Great. Come, now, Elizabeth. Let’s get you fixed and install some updates. You’ll be as good as new soon.”

“Yes, Sir,” Elizabeth smiled and bounced along. She was as happy as an Android could be.

“I’m keeping you no matter what.”

Her face brightened considerably. Once again Roy wondered how an Android could behave so much like a human. He gestured to her to follow him, and she did, walking behind his back as though guarding him. She probably was. It wouldn’t be surprising if Hughes had programmed it into her.

Mindlessly, he ordered, “Find me the best route to Rockbell’s Automatons. The traffic’s been a pain lately.”

Elizabeth went rigid instead. “System error. Unit does not compute.”

Roy grimaced. “Right… I forgot about that. Forget finding routes. Let’s just go anyway and hope for the best.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Remind me later to ask that your net searching function should be a high priority fix.”

“Noted, Sir.”

The two walked together, and Roy couldn’t help but feel at least a little bit content. This was no classic _Roy and Riza_ , but this was good enough. And he knew that an Android wouldn’t be able to feel anything aside of what they were programmed to, but it wasn’t like he loved Elizabeth, and he wasn’t interested in finding partners anyway. This, all in all, was reminiscent of the old dynamics he had with Riza and yet it was something new at the same time. It was as perfect as he could ever hope it would be.

For the first time, he didn’t scorn Hughes so much for making R-H-Eye 001 – Elizabeth – the way she was, and the longing he had felt for so long for the lover he would never meet again didn’t feel quite so stinging.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the new episode of All I Write is Angst. I have no idea why.
> 
> In this universe, Hughes is great with building things and built Elysia and Elizabeth on his own. Basically everyone is dead and Roy is sad. If this universe is to be expanded, Ed would be a cyborg with two artificial limbs, and Al... I think would be comatose with a disease, and Ed managed to sync his consciousness into an Android and the two then tries to find a cure. Haha... I think too much on this when I'm supposed to finish other stories or, better yet, study because the impeding doom that is final exam will be upon me soon.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a comment and tell me how you think, because I do love comments. Con/crit welcome, by the way. Hope you have a great day!


End file.
